


Halt and Catch Fire

by blessshea



Category: Longmire (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bisexuality, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family Issues, Fandom theories become fic fodder, Irish Mob, idiots making bad choices, lots of curse words cause its canon and also fuck yeah, season 6 AU, some tropey shit every once in awhile
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-28
Updated: 2017-09-20
Packaged: 2018-09-20 11:38:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9489377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blessshea/pseuds/blessshea
Summary: **this story is on hiatus**The legal aid might be thriving but Cady is trying to balance her feelings for Jacob with the lives and lies that surround them.





	1. Six degrees of separation

**Author's Note:**

> **I don't own Longmire, the books, or the show. I just like to destroy Craig's sandbox...all in good fun.**  
>  "...sometimes to achieve something good, you have to manipulate perception a bit." --5x09

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cady takes a shot, (literally), takes a different shot, (figuratively), and learns something surprising.

**Early July**

The grey clouds had started to mist around them a half hour ago and Cady frowned under the hood of her jacket. This was her third time trying to load the rifle and she had no doubt that the universe was having a good old time at her expense. As if to prove her point, the bullet slipped out of her fingers and hit the table, rolling off and into the grass below. Several inventive curse words-- thanks a lot Vic--  fell from her lips and she shot an angry glance at the heavens. Thanks for nothing. She laid the rifle on the table and crouched down, spying the brass winking at her in the damp grass. The fourth attempt seemed to understand her patience was thinning and when she tried again everything clicked into place without single misstep.  

Cady felt Henry hover at her back and she briefly turned her head in his direction. “I’m fine.” she said, her voice raspy from days of existing on a few scant hours of sleep. He didn’t say anything, just snorted like she’d made a joke and she ignored it, halfheartedly cramming her ear plugs in; then tucking the butt of the rifle into her shoulder. The misting started to taper off and a ray of light cut through the clouds, shining across her face.  Wincing, Cady cursed herself for forgetting her sunglasses while she positioned her arms, the familiar weight settled against her hands. Right. There. She lined up her sights with the target Omar had set up earlier that morning and fired. The shot echoed in the clearing and a few crows took off from a nearby spruce tree, squawking in their direction.  Her arms trembling made it difficult as she yanked out her earplugs out and her head swam with the sight of JP falling, over and over and over again. Tears blurred her vision for a moment and then ran in hot streaks down her face when Henry gently tugged the rifle out of her grasp. 

“It is going to be ok.” He said, pulling her close. 

She wiped her face with the back of her hand, and Henry squeezed her shoulder, a concerned look still painted on his face.. “I’m fine, I mean, I’m not fine but…” She sighed, looking into the trees before straightening herself  up. “I need to do it again.” 

He said nothing, just tightened his grip on the rifle and gave her stern glare. 

“What did Walt say to you?” He asked, taking a step back when she took a step forward for the rifle. 

Cady grimaced. “He…it’s not…” She trailed off and threw her hands up when he snagged the box of bullets off the table too, tucking them under his arm.  Her jacket was slightly damp but she shoved her hands into the waxed canvas, not quite meeting his eye. “He said…that none of it would have happened if I’d just listened to him…and quit.” The rattle of bullets hitting the table got her attention and Cady winced at the thunderous expression on his face. “Do it again,” He said angrily, handing her the rifle back. “I need a minute.” She watched as he stalked away towards the edge of the trees behind them, then reached out to catch the eagle feather against her fingers. 

                                                          

___________________

She’d been on the phone with Vic as she’d made coffee, the deputy was headed into work but insisted they meet for dinner the next day and she’d agreed as she pieced together her coffee pot, needing to feel the caffeine and copious amounts of sugar running through her veins. The steaming hot shower had woken her up and the smell of peppermint and honey lingered in her hair even as she toweled herself off, walking back into the bedroom. The ceiling fan whirled on high and she sprawled naked on the bed letting the air drift over her.  Her shoulder ached from the day of shooting and she had a dull lingering headache that even aspirin wasn’t touching. Henry had stomped back to the table after her fourth successful shot and she’d spent an hour convincing him that he didn’t need to get into another fist fight with his best friend, she could handle Walt she’d assured him. Right.

A disembodied shadow swirled across the ceiling, announcing that so far, it was windy, and currently sunny. She needed to get off the bed and get dressed, maybe even forage the house for food. Her stomach rumbled at the thought as she sat up and when her feet touched down on the cool floor it only propelled her to move faster. Cady grabbed the first bra and panties she touched in the large dresser drawer and a dark blue long sleeve t-shirt went on quickly. A loud “Fuck!” escaped her lips as she stubbed her toe on the bed frame before spotting her jeans on the floor. She’d dump the coffee into a travel mug, and grab a to-go order from the Busy Bee she decided, sliding her jeans on, and then socks. She shuffled into the closet, pulling a grey sweater on when she heard her phone ring loudly, buzzing against the night stand. The sweater was bunched under her arms as she yanked the cord out of the phone and she felt her face blanch a bit when she saw who was calling. 

“I’m sorry, I’ll be there soon. I just got a late start.” She began, as she tugged the sweater down, spinning in a circle, frantically trying to see where her boots went. “I meant to ca-”

“Cady.” His voice cut sharply through her ramble and she froze. “Will you please open the front door and let me in, I’d rather talk to you in person.” 

Still shoeless she stuttered, “Sure.” and headed out of the bedroom, turning right to see Jacob’s distinctive shadow through the curtained glass.  Cady hung up as she swung the door open, her fingers clenched around the phone as she tried to keep her face from giving away her confusion. 

“I’m sorry to intrude,” he said, stepping into the foyer and looking her over briefly. “I ran into Henry this morning.” He continued, and shrugged off his coat pinning her with a sharp look. “You’ve had an eventful week.” 

She marveled at his ability to say something, without actually saying it and she rubbed a hand across her face as she pushed off the door and headed towards the kitchen. “Yeah…uh…it was fine.” 

“I reminded him that he only has one working arm right now, I’m not even sure he could land a punch on Walt in his current state. He didn’t appreciate me pointing that out but he didn’t seem too keen on proving me wrong either.” 

That made her laugh out loud, and she leaned her head against the cabinet, relieved to be feeling something other than the swirl of confusion and guilt she’d been living with for the past few weeks. “I told him I was handling it.” She said finally, turning around to meet Jacob’s gaze. 

He didn’t say anything just gave her a look that she couldn’t quite decipher. They stared at each other, seconds passed and he shifted from his spot against the doorway. “There’s somewhere I’d like to take you.” He said and he pulled his phone out of his pocket, glancing at it before shoving back. 

She nodded, a bit surprised at the request but really, there was no such thing as normal since she’d started working for him. “Yeah, um, ok, what do I need…?” She asked, abandoning her empty coffee mug with a small sigh. 

“Some sort of shoes might be a good start.” He replied, rubbing his face. Her eyes followed his fingers and dawned on her that he was sporting a few days’ worth of scruff along with his normal goatee. 

“Shoes…” She repeated, still a bit dazed he was in her kitchen. “I just…” She gestured towards the hall, walking past him. “I’ll…I’ll be right back.” 

Once safely in her room she allowed herself to sink onto the bed as she wondered what the hell was going on. Deciding it was pretty much a trust-fall kind of scenario she got up, searching until she located her boots under the wingback chair and slipped them on. She peered around the corner to see him waiting, leaning against the door with his phone pressed to his ear. As she approached snippets of conversation reached her and her eyebrows rose when she realized he was talking to Mandy. 

“I’m sure you would.” He said, clearly in response to Mandy’s inaudible voice, though he was looking at her. Seconds later he tucked the phone into his jeans, and held up her coat. “It’s supposed to get cold by noon.” He murmured when she let him slid the coat up her arms. 

A chill bloomed across her back as his fingers just barely brushed against her neck and she started to recite Rez bylaws, hoping when she turned back around her face wouldn’t betray her. Sometimes she felt like she was imagining it and other times she could swear there was an invisible thread pulling between them, almost to the snapping point. All profound distraction opens certain doors. She thought as he followed her out onto the porch. 

He stood waiting on the walkway while she locked up and she turned the handle just to double check before tromping after him. “What was Mandy saying?” She asked, pulling her hair into a ponytail. They made it to the sidewalk before she paused and crossed her arms. “You do know she’s going to tell me whatever it was later, right?” 

He turned back, keys in hand and twirled them briefly. “She’s a handful…Morris had a fit over her colorful comment by the way…man’s a nuisance.” He said, a smirk tugging at his lips when she huffed at him. “She just wanted to make sure you were ok.” 

                                                                                                                 

___________________

Cady was about 90% sure they were on the Crow Reservation. 

When they’d first got into his car he’d immediately driven them to the Busy Bee, gave her $40 ignoring her protests and told her to order them coffee and whatever else she’d wanted. Dorothy listened to her babble about needing caffeine, and food that wouldn’t be a mess in a car then wandered off, coming back twenty minutes later with a bag and a drink carrier. She’d refused the money, saying no way would she take money from Walt’s girl and Cady figured she’d think very differently if she’d known where the food was going, considering she knew that Dorothy and Jacob had clashed on several occasions. She’d managed to sneak the bills into the tip jar before detouring to a nearby table, assuring Omar she was better than the last time he’d seen her before escaping out of the door along with a rush of teens. 

He’d driven for over an hour while they picked through the food and drained the coffees. 45 minutes later he’d stopped and made a phone call. Then he’d navigated them off the highway and through Bighorn National Forest for several miles before parking in a seemingly random lot. Ten minutes after that and they were strolling into the woods like it was a common occurrence. 

“He’s having a cow about you being gone last week.” She said as they passed a rock formation, a forest of trees ahead of them. 

Jacob sighed, and she watched him shove his hands in his pockets. “And you told him…?” 

She forced herself to bite down on her cheek, less she get fired for calling her boss a moron. “Nothing,” Cady said, crossing her arms, “mostly because, he didn’t ask me. He tried to get Vic to do it, but she’s about a subtle as a rampaging horse…” They shared an amused look before she shuffled her feet, knowing she was about to push his buttons. “Besides, I have no idea where you were anyway.” 

Ah, there we go, she thought as his eyes narrowed. 

“Cady…” He started, sounding annoyed, raising an eyebrow as she held her hands up in a silent surrender. 

They continued on in silence, nothing but the sounds of the woods and hills surrounding around them as the forest grew closer. A cold stream lapped over the top of her boots, and they both grumbled a bit as they trudged forward. The trees rose in front of  hem, and before she knew it they were deep in the cluster of pine trees. 

“He insists that you’ll put me in the middle of…whatever he thinks is going on.” She said, dead branches crunching under her boots as they passed a fallen tree.

His black coat swayed as he stopped, and it felt like everything was waiting with her to hear him speak; a wind rustled through the trees but not even a bird chirped. The shaded canopy casted shadows on his face as he moved towards her until there was just a few inches between them and it made her think of their last tension filled conversation. “I’ve been trying not to.” Jacob said, his mouth pressed in a firm line.

“I know that.” She said fiercely.

“Do you?” He asked.

Cady resisted rolling her eyes as she brushed past him, a slew of words on the tip of her tongue that would raise the stakes of the conversation to truly uncomfortable level. She was so caught up in trying to shut her inner voice up that she tripped over a log, her saving grace in the form of his hands wrapping around her waist at the last second. She righted herself, muttering and embarrassed as they separated, her quiet “Thank you.” the only sound between them. 

“Do you remember our conversation about surrounding yourself with people you trust?” He asked finally, as a hawk screamed somewhere above them.

She nodded, a blush burning on her cheeks. “It’s hard to forget.” 

He looked past her for a moment, before he reached out and tugged on her coat, “Good, keep it in mind. Now let’s go.” He said, and he started walking again.

Her watch told her they’d been walking for almost 2 hours when they passed by what she was almost certain was a small medicine wheel and she carefully navigated around it, making sure she was never within a foot of the circle. A clearing began to take shape before them, a fire pit and two large tents, with a dog laying by pile of logs. Cady jumped as a sharp whistle blew, and stuffed her hands into her coat pockets as Jacob crouched down at the fire pit, fiddling until it suddenly roared back to life. An older woman appeared at the edge of the trees opposite them, wearing double layered plaid shirts over jeans, a knit hat covering her black hair. A nervous feeling rose in her chest as the woman approached the fire, looking at her.

“How’s Standing Bear?” The black-haired woman asked, pulling the hat off her head.

Her mouth opened as a litany of questions ran through her mind and she desperately wanted to look over at Jacob, but the way the woman was watching her seemed to say that wasn’t a good idea. She licked her lips, shifting her stance as she spoke. “He’s well.” She said vaguely, causing the woman to smile wryly. 

“If she’s anything like her momma you’re in a world of trouble.” The woman said, turning to Jacob and tossing leather bag at him.

She watched as he caught it, sticking it in his coat pocket with a shrug. “There is no such uncertainty as a sure thing.” He replied, and Cady twitched a bit, trying to figure where she’d heard the familiar sounding phrase as the woman chuckled. 

“C’mon Cady.” The woman said, beckoning her forward, an amused look on her face. “I have a message for you.”

“How…did you know my mom?” She asked twenty minutes later, unable to stay quiet any longer, sitting on an old cot, a warm mug of tea in her hands.

The woman gave her a crooked grin, flicking her hair over her shoulder as she dug through a battered trunk. “I’m afraid that should wait until the next time we see each other.” Two envelopes, both a bit worn and bent were in her hand and she offered them with a serious look. “One is for Standing Bear, the other a girl called Mandy, from Gab. I trust you can get them delivered safely.”


	2. Disarm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "If everything on earth were rational, nothing would ever happen." -Fyodor Dostoyevesky
> 
> Cady sees an old friend, makes her opinion known, and takes a risk.

####  **Mid September**

“There’s a Fed here for you.”

Cady whipped her head up at the sound of Mandy’s voice and felt herself tense. “I’m sorry, what?!”

Mandy shrugged, leaning more of her body into the office. “Are you ok?” She whispered, her dark eyes traveling across Cady like she was cataloging every tensed body part and tallying her days of having the same tired under-eye circles.

Knowing her little sister--that was still something she was getting used to--was worried about the Irish mob threat Walt had finally got around to telling her about, Cady nodded, pushing away from the desk. “I’m fine,” she said quietly, squeezing Mandy’s arm.

Mandy made a noise of disbelief, but she still let Cady push the door wide open before she disappeared into the kitchen.

_This isn’t anything I’m going to like._ Cady stifled several curse words, taking in the sight of the tall black-haired FBI agent casually examining the fireplace. She fake-coughed, getting his attention and scowled when he shot her a smile. “Get in, jackass,” she hissed, gesturing to her office.  He passed by her, kissing her on the cheek and she shut the office door firmly, sitting back down behind the desk.

“Not that I don’t love seeing you, Kelley,” she said, running a hand through her hair,“...but what the hell.”

He held out a piece of paper. She stared at it, and then at him with pursed lips.

“My office isn’t bugged.”

“Still,” he said, hand not wavering.

Sighing, loudly, she stood and made her way towards him, snatching the paper from his fingers and leaning against the edge of the desk.

_Jacob Nighthorse is a confidential FBI informant_ was written on the slip of paper. She froze.

In her head she counted to thirty, and then looked up to meet Kelley’s gentle gaze. “Can you say anything else?”

“He’s gray as hell.” He shrugged and she snorted; like that was news. “Brat,” he continued, pointing a finger at her and grinning. “Of course, he’s not any more gray than that Da of yours. What’s saving Walter is that shiny badge, and the fact that the FBI generally hates poking around in the back-fuck-of-nowhere. Horrible cell signal, horrible satellite coverage too,” he complained, a hint of his Belfast accent slipping through, along with his annoyance. “Bloody damn cowboys.”

Cady rolled her eyes, shoving the paper into the pocket of her jeans. “But since...he’s…” She stopped talking and air quoted with her fingers. “They’re out here...because of what he’s...providing?”

Kelley gave a small shrug again. “I’m not at liberty to say,” he said. He smirked when she threw up her hands at him.

She shook her head, resisting the urge to roll her eyes again and opened the office door. Mandy had seemingly vanished, and Cady was glad that, at least currently, the building was empty. “Well,” she said, stepping onto the front porch with Kelley right behind her, “I’d say it’s been fun...”

He laughed, walking past her then stopping to face her. “It’s never fun. Nice sign, though.”

Cady narrowed her eyes and stuck her middle finger up at him. “I like your wife better than you.”

Kelley laughed again, this time from the driver’s seat of his unmarked SUV. “She’ll kill me if I don’t get you to promise to be careful.”

“I’m a Longmire, ” she said wryly.

“That’s the problem!” He yelled out the open window before driving away.

                                                       

___________________

  
She’d gone back inside after Kelley left. Tried to finish her paperwork. Tried to clean something. Tried to sort her remaining current cases and files. It was there at the back-end of every thought, though. That damn slip of paper and all its godforsaken baggage.

She’d called Mandy and left a message saying she was closing up early. She’d scribbled a note for Andi, who was always the first to arrive in the morning. Then she’d left with full intentions of going home. She was going crawl into a hot bath, pop a bottle of wine and curse Walt, Jacob, and this damnably complicated situation that she couldn’t bring herself to walk away from. Instead, she found herself sitting in her Jeep in the 4 Arrows parking lot, arguing with herself about whether or not to go in.

Weeks ago when Walt had finally decided to tell her about Shane Muldoon and his threats, he’d taken great pleasure in making sure he painted Jacob as the bad guy. He’d told her way more then she needed to know about Jacob’s past and relished in Jacob’s name change, as if that automatically made him even more suspicious. He incited a three hour argument about the Rez, racism, classism, and Cady remembered shouting until her voice gave out when he’d nonchalantly said he had gotten “good” information about Jacob’s “current” mob ties from Malachi of all people. Now here she was, in the middle of Walt vs the Mob vs Jacob, _and the fucking FBI_ , like a completely stupid, and naive moving target for fuck’s sake. So much for the blinders Walt accused her of having.

Her phone pinged and she jumped, hitting her dangling key ring with her knee.

> Jacob [7:12 PM] Is there any particular reason you’re sitting in the parking lot?

She groaned, leaning her forehead against the steering wheel. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her tote bag and finally removed the keys from the engine.

The casino was loud, bright, completely packed, and decked out for the upcoming Harvest Festival. Swags of leaves draped over every archway, with corn wreaths on the entry doors and windows, and a bunch of squashes, pumpkins, and corn husk dolls were arranged artfully across the check-in desk . Cady smiled at the woman manning the desk, who’d been a recent client, and headed for the elevator.

Her phone pinged again just as she leaned against the cool steel wall of the elevator.

> Jacob [7:23 PM] I heard the Sheriff told you about Mr. Muldoon.

Cady kept her head down briefly before looking up to where she knew the security camera was and glared, raising an eyebrow.

The elevator stopped and the doors slid open almost silently. Cady stepped out and paused in the hallway, rubbing a hand across her face before heading towards Jacob’s office.

The normal classical music that usually whispered through the wall speakers was noticeably absent and she could practically hear the blood in her ears. She came to a full on stop in front of Iris’ tidy, empty desk and realized all the lights were off. A swarm of nerves pulled at her, making the hair on her arms rise. Sucking in a few deep breaths, she leaned against the solid oak, trying to calm herself down. The entire floor was empty, save for the two of them.

_Well fuck._

  
The shelves were all rearranged, and even though this was the third time she’d been in his office since Mathias, Henry, Jacob, and Walt had finally teamed up about the black market thievery, she still hadn’t gotten a chance to appreciate any of his new acquisitions. Her fingers practically itched to pick at each display card; art history had been her undergrad during her first four years in college and she sometimes wished she’d chosen it as her profession. The tension in the room was thick, like it would creep up to smother them without notice. She felt Jacob’s eyes watching her while she deposited her bag on the couch. Her raging anger had dulled itself to something akin to exhaustion and disappointment mixed with a streak of clarity--because so many things made more sense now.

She looked up to find him leaning against the wall divider, his jacket and tie gone, probably draped on the back of his chair.

Giving in, she dropped down on the couch and briefly pressed her fingertips against her eyes. “I didn’t think you underestimated me until today.” She wasn’t looking at him, because there was a new painting hung on the wall across from the couch, but she knew he was crossing the room.

“Perhaps you can enlighten me with the reason you feel I’ve underestimated you.”

Cady snorted loudly and watched Jacob sit down across from her. She shoved a few fingers in her pocket, pulling out the paper. For a second, she thought about just getting up and walking out, tossing the paper in the nearest trashcan and calling out sick tomorrow. He’d let her. Pushing the thought away, she stood, walking around the coffee table, shoving it back with the heel of her boot until it was pressed up against the other couch. Jacob’s eyebrows rose, but he said nothing, not even when she sat down on it and their legs just barely brushed together.

“Here,” she said, holding her hand out, offering him the paper.

He pulled the paper from her grasp and she found herself admiring for the millionth time how nothing _ever_ showed on his damn face.

His cheek muscle twitched when he unfolded the paper, the one miniscule tell she’d noticed over the past few months, and she braced herself for any manner of a response as he looked back up at her. “Where did you get this from?” He asked, handing the paper back to her.

“An old friend brought it to me,” Cady said, stressing the ‘f, b, and i’ and clearing her throat when her voice wavered, hoping he’d get what she meant. She blinked away the sudden urge to cry and pulled the glass bowl from the center of the table into her lap. “Gotta lighter?”

“I wasn’t aware you kept such interesting company.” He pulled a lighter from his pocket and handed it to her.

She shook her head and concentrated, lighting the paper on fire before dropping it in the bowl. “That’s a horrible deflection, especially for you,” she murmured, sensing him watching her even when she got up and left the bowl on the table.

“I can see I’ve managed to upset you--for that I’m sorry,” he said lowly, still seated on the couch.

Cady laughed and it sounded hollow. “I’m not even sure I can describe how I’m feeling.” Her hands dug into the leather on the back of the couch and she looked across the room at him, still nothing readable on his face. “Upset doesn’t seem accurate.”

Jacob tilted his head and nodded, then leaned forward and began undoing his cufflinks. “I’m sure that the Sheriff took the opportunity to tell you all about my terrible wrongdoings in the past during his chitchat with you about Shane Muldoon and his associates.”

She made an impatient, frustrated sound, watching him drop his cufflinks on the table, and her stomach felt like it dropped fifty feet when he stood, walking towards her.

He stopped at the opposite end of the couch from her and rolled up one sleeve, still watching her. “I’m not a saint and I’ve never professed to be. I’ve also tried not to drag you into the middle of this mess but, unfortunately,” he sighed, “between the Sheriff’s rash decisions and my folly of youth I have a feeling we did exactly that.” He paused, and rolled up his second sleeve. “As for that,” he tilted his head at the glass bowl full of ashes, “I was planning to tell you this week and assign a security guard to the legal aid.”

Cady narrowed her eyes and pulled herself up to her full height. “I am not a freaking damsel in distress. I’ve already shot one man…” She stopped abruptly and looked away from him.  JP was still a sore point no matter how hard she tried to move past it.

The room was silent for a few seconds and she startled when Jacob moved off the couch, slowly encroaching on her personal space.

“Cady.”

She’d been firmly squashing the thought of having a ridiculous, highly inappropriate crush on him for over a month now. Firmly stomping it down, way, way down. Goddamn the man and the way he said her name.

_No room for Jesus, at all._ Her mom’s teasing voice popped into her head as soon as she got a whiff of Jacob’s cologne. It always reminded her of pine trees, and rain. It was probably soothing under any other circumstances.

She was not soothed.  

“Can I touch you?”

Cady looked up at the sound of his voice, feeling a bit thrown. When was the last time _anyone_ had asked her point blank for her consent? Probably never. “Yes.”

His hand was warm and he firmly wrapped it around her wrist, pulling her away from the couch and closer towards him.  “I know you can take care of yourself, but I also want you to have some back-up. Just in case.”

She exhaled, laughing a little, the warmth of his hand spreading up her arm, “I really can’t argue with that,” she whispered, thinking about the thirty hellish minutes she’d waited for Mathias and an ambulance, Asha cowering in the kitchen, bullets and blood everywhere.

Trying to ignore the feeling of his fingers grazing the palm of her hand, Cady focused her gaze on the mother-of-pearl buttons of his shirt before meeting his eyes. The buzzing in her ears was back while her brain frantically tried to work out whether she was charging ahead or running. _Charging ahead. Way ahead._ She moved forward, closing the last millimeters of personal space between them, bringing her hands up to hover over his shoulders. “Is it ok...if I…” She stopped talking when his other hand closed over her hip, tracing the path of her belt to settle at the small of her back.

His shirt was slippery and cool to the touch and her fingers sank into the fabric, feeling the warmth of his shoulders under her finger-tips. Tilting her head she kissed him softly. “ This is a terrible idea isn’t it,” she whispered. Their noses brushed and she dug her hands into his shirt harder. He kissed the tip of her nose and the tenderness in the way his fingers traced her jawline made her heart ache.

Slowly, carefully, like the way they’d been dancing around each other for months, the intensity of their kisses built. She sunk her teeth into his bottom lip when his hand skimmed down her throat and his fingers skimmed the curve of her necklace. Every offhand thought she’d ever given to kissing him was nothing like the intoxicating reality. She wanted to simultaneously melt into him and see him on his knees all at the same time. His lips brushed against her ear and he breathed her name. Just as her hand touched the top buttons on his dress-shirt the lights flickered and then went out completely, plunging them into darkness.

Cady took a deep breath and memorized Jacob’s darkened profile, feeling his heart pounding under her hands. The lights flickered once before staying on, and then simultaneously two phones and a piercing alarm went off. His hands slipped off her and she registered him cursing as he veered to the right, pushing buttons on what she was assuming was an alarm panel.

The loss of him and the warmth of his body caused goosebumps to wash over her and her eyes tracked him into the other side of the room to silence one phone and pick up the other. She bit her lip watching him move while he talked, the muscles of his arms and back strained against the fabric of his dress-shirt as he listened to whoever was on the other end of the line.

She reached blindly for her bag, shaking off the haze of their kissing and the rush still pumping in her veins. She fought the urge to cross the room and help him when he grabbed his suit jacket and began to put it on, his cell phone pressed against his ear with his shoulder. Slowly, Cady made her way to the door and waited, feeling nervous again when the call ended and the room was silent again.

“I need to--”  
“It’s fine--”

They both spoke at the same time and Cady gripped the handles of her tote harder when he nodded at her and stopping in front of her before opening the door and gesturing for her to go first.

The walk down the hallway was uneasy feeling, and silent. When they reached the steel doors she felt like she was going to blurt out the first thing she was thinking if he didn’t talk first. The mechanical sound of the doors opening seemed to relax them both and a Chopin piece began to play over the speakers. When she stepped into the elevator  Jacob blocked the doors from closing and stuck a key into the control panel, pressing a few buttons.

He stepped back out, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I’ve gotta go to the roof.”

“Oh, ok. Be careful…” Cady replied, still feeling slightly out of sorts.

“Hey,” he said softly, catching her gaze, “we will talk about this later, ok?”

She nodded just as the doors closed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My day was shit, and I need something positive, this fandom is my positive right now. <3


End file.
